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Female designers made their own strides. McCardell, known as the mother of American sportswear, simplified fashion with denim, calico, sashes, spaghetti straps, and menswear touches. Emerging alongside McCardell, Bonnie Cashin \u2014 also a theater costume designer \u2014 incorporated leather and suede into clothing and groundbreaking accessories design at Coach. African American trailblazer Anne Cole Lowe \u2014 designer of the ivory taffeta wedding gown Jacqueline Bouvier wore to marry John F. Kennedy \u2014 became the first BIPOC female designer recognized for her work despite facing segregation during her studies.<\/p>\n
Other trailblazers include Hattie Carnegie (millinery and namesake suits), Vera Maxwell (ski, tennis, and riding essentials), Adele Simpson (the contemporary and bridge markets), Pauline Trig\u00e8re (the jumpsuit, sleeveless coat, and reversible cape), and Harlem Renaissance figure Ruth Bailey, who birthed the Afro-centric fashion design concept.<\/p>\n
Klein\u2019s training at Traphagen positioned her as the leader in modern sportswear, championing mix-and-match concepts and junior sportswear beginning in the 1950s. Her assistant, Donna Karan \u2014 present at the 1973 Battle of Versailles fashion show \u2014 shared design reins with Louis Dell\u2019Olio after Klein\u2019s death, before launching her own brand in 1984 with the groundbreaking \u201cSeven Easy Pieces\u201d essentials collection.<\/p>\n After the vanguard came a contemporary brigade whose brands remain relevant today: Norma Kamali, Diane von Furstenberg, Betsey Johnson, Tory Burch, and Anna Sui, who is currently enjoying a revival thanks to Gen Z.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s New York design scene is a mix of male- and female-led brands, with several high-profile women carrying forward their predecessors\u2019 independent spirit while advancing the multiculturalism that defines the fashion capital. Four female designers \u2014 Rachel Scott of Proenza Schouler and Diotima, Frances Howie of Fforme, Ashlynn Park of Ashlyn, and Camilla St\u00e6rk \u2014 embody that legacy.<\/p>\n Understanding New York\u2019s pioneers means understanding what they followed: Parisian fashion. Women such as Madame Gr\u00e8s, Madeleine Vionnet, and Coco Chanel set the tone for the modern wardrobe. \u201cThey modernized their thinking, applying their design philosophy to their own bodies and tribe of women around them,\u201d said Howie. McCardell\u2019s and Cashin\u2019s contributions have had the most enduring effect on American sportswear.<\/p>\n St\u00e6rk \u2014 a Danish designer whose design influence pulls equally from her mother\u2019s equestrian roots and her father\u2019s championing of Scandinavian furniture \u2014 discovered Cashin\u2019s work during her first New York foray, interning for Patrick Robinson with friend Victor Glemaud.<\/p>\n \u201cI found this vintage Bonnie Cashin boucl\u00e9 cardigan and skirt set with tiny gold buttons. Victor explained who she was and encouraged me to get it,\u201d St\u00e6rk said, adding that Cashin\u2019s \u201ctreatment of combining leather and suede with fabrics resonates with me because that was my starting point. She made it light and drapey, and her hardware was on point.\u201d St\u00e6rk later carried that sensibility to her furniture designs.<\/p>\n Howie contends these early innovators\u2019 influence could not be overstated. \u201cYou can\u2019t detract from those women and what they started with the modern wardrobe conversation. Donna Karan took that and ran with it,\u201d she added, noting Fforme\u2019s effortlessness stems from that same conversation. \u201cWe don\u2019t look at the references from these women literally but rather the mentality.\u201d<\/p>\n Park found inspiration from New York designers during her formative years in South Korea and Japan. Her aunt had gifted her an Anne Klein bias-cut skirt she wore religiously. \u201cIt made me realize the power of cut,\u201d Park said. In Tokyo, she was struck by Donna Karan designs at Isetan: \u201cThere were two jersey draped dresses, structured but not stiff, that fascinated me.\u201d<\/p>\n Scott finds Elsa Peretti\u2019s work still modern and influential, though women such as Ann Lowe are also top of mind. As the first BIPOC female designer to win CFDA American Womenswear Designer of the Year and the first female creative director at Proenza Schouler, she carries the weight of the honor.<\/p>\n \u201cMany BIPOC women creatives came before me and paved the path. I\u2019m not the first; others who were doing incredible work weren\u2019t given the opportunity or recognition, which is weird,\u201d Scott said, adding, \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of responsibility to deliver incredible work to honor those who deserved it.\u201d<\/p>\n The New York woman is equally an influence. \u201cI create modern armor for the New York warrior woman. Strength is about daring to be vulnerable; New York has that,\u201d St\u00e6rk observes.<\/p>\n Park\u2019s stints at Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake shaped her perspective: \u201cKorea taught me to trust my instinct, Japan taught me construction, and New York taught me about the reality of female customers\u2019 lives,\u201d she explained, adding, \u201cNew York fashion is very grounded in real life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love the confidence and endless appetite for beauty \u2014 it\u2019s inspiring. Our atelier is in Soho, and it\u2019s exciting to watch the women of New York show their style on the streets,\u201d said Howie, describing their customers as \u201cconnected to the zeitgeist, possibly a creator and someone who consumes art and literature.\u201d<\/p>\n All agree that a woman-led company creates a different environment \u2014 one with more nurturing and supportive advice.<\/p>\n \u201cFiguring out how to sustain yourself is definitely a challenge; you have to take care of yourself,\u201d said Scott, who helms two brands. Veteran designer Maria Cornejo advised her. \u201cIf something doesn\u2019t feel right for you, then you don\u2019t internalize that. I\u2019ve internalized things that can make you sick, so I\u2019m learning not to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Besides the Japanese men, Park worked for Alexander Wang and Raf Simons, experiences she calls incomparable and a source of gratitude, but also \u201cunforgiving\u201d and lacking in female mentorship save for her role at Nili Lotan.<\/p>\n Becoming a mom also cemented her ambition for change. \u201cAs the \u2018mother,\u2019\u201d Park said. \u201cI share my wisdom and help nurture a beautiful company for my team. I want to make this experience fun and not dark.\u201d<\/p>\n Scott concurs. \u201cI\u2019ve worked for both men and women; women listen, which I appreciate. There\u2019s a lot more flexibility and negotiation that comes with being a woman. That\u2019s a better way to lead,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Both Howie and St\u00e6rk see optimism in the New York industry, driven especially by female energy. \u201cThere\u2019s an openness to new ideas in New York as long as you know what you stand for,\u201d St\u00e6rk notes.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a power and energy around entrepreneurial optimism; it\u2019s open to ideas more than other cities. New York\u2019s women have a confidence that anything is possible and ours for the taking. The community here gets behind something enthusiastically, and positively \u2014 that\u2019s a powerful force,\u201d Howie explained, adding, \u201cWe need beauty, art and fashion more than ever to feel optimistic, especially now.\u201d<\/p>\n For Scott, that outlook was recently embodied by the underdog New York Knicks, a spirit she compares to the fashion industry. \u201cDon\u2019t expect us to fall into the framework of what you think we can do; we\u2019re incredibly determined and creative. We are the fashion underdog. I like working from that place because I love to prove people wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n Ethel Traphagen, no doubt, would agree.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42803,"featured_media":990327,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[17,16],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/10\/GettyImages-514686752.jpg\")
From the \u201970s Till Today<\/h2>\n
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New York Women by Design<\/h2>\n
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New York or Nowhere<\/h2>\n